Epoxide preparation

ABSTRACT

A METHOD OF PRODUCING AN EPOXIDE OF THE FORMULA:   2-R1,2-R2,3-R3,3-R4-OXIRANE OR 2,3-(-R5-)OXIRANE   WHERE R1, R2, R3 AND R4 ARE HYDROGEN OR HYDROCARBYL AND R5 IS X,$-ALKYLENE COMPRISING CONTACTING A FIRST OLEFIN OF THE FORMULA:   R1-C(-R2)=C(-R3)-R4 OR R5&lt;(-CH=CH-)   WHERE R1 THROUGH R5 IS AS HERETOFORE DEFINED WITH AN ALKOXYHYDROPEROXIDE OF THE FORMULA:   R6-C(-R7)(-O-OH)-O-R10 AND/OR R8-C(-R9)(-O-OH)-O-R10   WHERE R6, R7, R8 AND R9 ARE HYDROGEN OR HYDROCARBYL IN THE PRESENCE OF A MOLYBDENUM, TUNGSTEN OR VANADIUM EPOXIDE PRODUCING CATALYST, SAID HYDROPEROXIDE PREPARED BY CONTACTING A MIXTURE OF A SECOND OLEFIN OF THE FORMULA:   R6R7C=CR8R9   WHERE R6 R7, R8 AND R9 ARE AS HERETOFORE DEFINED, AND AN ALKANOL OF THE FORMULA R10OH WHERE R10 IS ALKYL WITH OZONE.

3,642,832 Patented Feb. 15, 1972 3,642,832 EPOXIDE PREPARATION Richard Denis Smetaua, Beacon, Harry Chafetz, Poughkeepsie, and Alfred Arkell, Wappingers Falls, N.Y., assignors to Texaco Inc., New York, NY. No Drawing. Filed Mar. 18, 1969, Ser. No. 808,347 Int. Cl. C07d 1/08, 1/12 US. Cl. 260-3485 L Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method of producing an epoxide of the formula:

where R R R and R are hydrogen or hydrocarbyl and R is a,Q-alkylene comprising contacting a first olefin of the formula:

where R, through R is as heretofore defined with an alkoxyhydroperoxide of the formula:

()[OH CTOH R5R7C and/or R 30? ORm ORio where R R7, R and R are hydrogen or hydrocarbyl in the presence of a molybdenum, tungsten or vanadium epoxide producing catalyst, said hydroperoxide prepared by contacting a mixture of a second olefin of the formula:

R,R,C='0R,R,

where R R R and R are as heretofore defined, and an alkanol of the formula R OH where R is alkyl with ozone.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION SUMMARY OF INVENTION We have discovered a method which is highly selective to the production of epoxides from their unsaturated precursors and alkoxyhydroperoxides. In addition, the method of the invention produces epoxides in yields more attractive from a commercial standpoint than many of the prior art methods.

Particularly, our method comprises contacting a first olefin of the formula:

where R R R and R are hydrogen or alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl or arylalkyl of from 1 to 40 carbons with an alkoxyhydroperoxide of the formula:

0 OH I R6R1 and/or RgRg C O Rm Rio where R R R and R are hydrogen or alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl or arylalkyl of from 1 to 40 carbons in the presence of a molybdenum, tungsten or vanadium epoxide produc- OOH ing catalyst, said hydroperoxide being prepared by contacting with ozone a second olefin of the formula R R C=CRgR in the presence of an alkanol of the formula R OH where R contains from 1 to 20 carbons.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION More specifically, the method of the invention comprises preparing an epoxide comprising contacting a first olefin with an alkoxyhydroperoxide in the presence of between about 0.01 and 10 wt. percent based on the reaction mixture of a catalyst, all as heretofore defined, utilizing a mole ratio of first olefin to alkoxyhydroperoxide of between about 1:1 and 100:1 at a temperature between about 0 and 200 C. under pressure ranging from 1 to 100 atmospheres.

If needed to facilitate contact of reactants and catalysts, inert nonpolar liquid solvent may be employed. This solvent can be derived from carryover of the solvent or alcohol reactant employed in the preparation of the hydroperoxide reactant or from freshly added solvent. If solvent is employed, normally the solvent quantities are between about 50 and wt. percent based on the reaction mixture utilized. To additionally facilitate contact, agitation is desirably employed, such as stirring, particularly when one of the ingredients such as catalyst is insoluble in the reaction medium.

Recovery of the epoxide product is accomplished by standard means such as filtration to remove solids such as catalyst followed by fractional distillation to recover the epoxide as overhead or residue depending on its relative boiling point in respect to the boiling points of the remaining reaction medium ingredients.

In regard to the alkoxyhydroperoxide reactant it is prepared by contacting an admixture of a second olefin as heretofore defined with ozone in the presence of the aforedefined alkanol at a temperature between about and 100 C. utilizing a mole ratio of olefin to ozone of between about 1:1 and 20:1 and a mole ratio of olefin to alcohol between about 1:20 and 20:1. The formed alkoxyhydroperoxide can be isolated by standard means such as removing the excess alcohol, if present, via vacuum distillation leaving the alkoxyhydroperoxide as residue for addition to the olefin catalyst mixture in the epoxide preparation.

If needed to facilitate contact in the hydroperoxide preparation, inert solvent and/or agitation can be employed in the manner and quantities described in respect to the epoxide formation. Suitable examples of inert solvents that may be employed, if required, in either hydroperoxide or epoxide preparation, are the liquid paraflins, halogenated paraffins and dialkyl ethers such as chloroform, methylene chloride, pentane and diethyl ether. Solvent quantities of between about 80 and 99 wt. percent of the reaction mixture are utilized under advantageous conditions.

The preparation of the alkoxyhydroperoxide reactant and epoxide product are further described by the following chemical equations:

(1) Hydroperoxide preparation 2R R 0=CR R ZRmOH 20,

OOH OOH u 1 sRn RaR70=O RsR9C=O OR 10 (2) Epoxide preparation OOH R R9C=CR R4 R R7 Examples of the olefin reactant contemplated herein are those characterized by the formulas R R C=CR R having 5 to 12 carbons and having 6 to 8 carbons such as l-pentene, 2-pentene, 1- hexene, l-octene, 2-octene, cyclohexene, cyclooctene, alpha-methylstyrene, 2-methyl 1 pentene, 3-(3'-ethylphenyl)-1-propene; ortho-, meta-, and para-isopropenylcumene and diisopropenylbenzene; and l-phenylcyclohexene.

Examples of the alkanol reactants contemplated herein are methanol, ethanol, n-butanol, hexanol, t-butanol and 3-octanol.

Specific examples of alkoxy hydroperoxide intermediates are those characterized by the formula:

OOH

rtxn o where R and R total from 0 to 7 carbons and R is from 1 to 8 carbons such as a mixture of l-methoxyheptyl hydroperoxide and l-methoxymethyl hydroperoxide derived from the reaction of methanol and l-octene; a mixture of l-methoxyhexyl hydroperoxide and l-methoxyethyl hydroperoxide derived from the reaction of methanol and 2-octene; and a mixture of 1-propoxy-l-phenylethyl hydroperoxide and l-propoxymethyl hydroperoxide derived from a reaction of a-methylstyrene and l-propa- 1101.

Examples of the epoxide products produced in the method of the invention are those characterized by the formula having from 5 to 12 carbons and having from 6 to 8 carbons such as 1,2-octene oxide; 2,3 octene oxide; 2-methyl-1,2-pentene oxide; 1,2-cyclooctene oxide; 1,2-cyclohexene oxide and 2-methyl-2-phenyl-1,2- ethylene oxide are respectively formed from l-octene, 2- octene, 2-methyl-1-pentene, cyclooctene, cyclohexene and alpha-methylstyrene.

Examples of the transitional metal epoxide producing catalysts contemplated herein are molybdenum hexacarbony], molybdenum trioxide, molybdenum dioxide, sodium molybdate, molybdenum oxyacetylacctonate, sodium phospho-lZ-molybdate, sodium phospho-18-molybdate, phosphomolybdic acid, molybdenum sulfide, silicomolybdic acid, molybdenum pentachloride, ethylphospho molybdate and tungsten and vanadium counterparts such as sodium tungstate, sodium vanadate and vanadium pentoxide.

The following examples further illustrate the method of the invention but are not to be construed as limitations thereof.

Example I This example illustrates the preparation of the alkoxyhydroperoxide reactant.

To a 250 ml., 3-neck fiask equipped with a gas sparger, a thermometer, a water condenser and magnetic stirrer, there was charged 200 millimoles of alpha-methylstyrene dissolved in 100 ml. of methanol. Ozone of a content of 3.9 mole percent in admixture with air was passed through the solution maintained at to 50 C. at a rate of 600 mls./minute over a 220 minute period and until a total of 20 millimoles of ozone were absorbed, that is,

4 until the blue color or ozone appeared in the reaction mixture indicating complete reaction of the olefin. The excess methanol was removed by vacuum distillation leaving 45.5 grams of residual mixture containing l-methoxymethyl hydroperoxide and l-methoxy-l-phenylethyl hydroperoxide.

EXAMPLLE II This example illustrates the preparation of the epoxide from the olefin-alkoxyalkyl hydroperoxide.

A 6.76 g. portion of the hydroperoxide mixture produced in Example I was added to a ml. l-neck pyrex flask containing a magnetic stirring bar, a calcium sulfate containing drying tube and the olefin and catalyst. At the end of the reaction the final product was analyzed via gas chromatography. Three runs were conducted. The reaction data and results are reported below in Table I:

TABLE I.-REACTION DATA AND RESULTS Run A B C Reactant and cat. (millimoles):

l-oetene 243 cyclohexene t 362 Cyclooctene 275 Hydroperoxide e 30. 2 27.3 27. G M003 1 1 1 Reaction conditions:

Temperature, C 102 73 93 Percent unreacted hydroperoxide after 4.11ours 14 9 2 Product yield, mole percent 1,2-octene oxide 14 1,2-cyclohexene oxide 1,2 eyclo0ctene oxide Mixture containing l-methoxy-l-pl1cnyletl1yl hydroperoxide and 1- methoxymethyl hydroperoxide.

b Based on hydroperoxide.

having 5 to 12 carbons or on ll R5 having 6 to 8 carbons with an alkoxy hydroperoxide of the formula:

OOII

Where R R R R R and R are hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl or arylalkyl, R is a,2 alkylene, R is alkyl of from 1 to 8 carbons and R plus R total from 0 to 7 carbons in the presence of a molybdenum, tungsten or vanadium epoxidation catalyst at a temperature between about 0 and 200 C. utilizing a mole ration of olefin to hydroperoxide of between about 1.1 and 100:1, said catalyst being present in an amount between about 0.1 and 10 wt. percent based on the reaction mixture.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said alkoxy hydroperoxide is a mixture of 1-methoxy-1-phenylethyl hydroperoxide and l-methoxymethyl hydroperoxide and said catalyst is molybdenum trioxide.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said olefin is l-octene and said epoxide is 1,2-octene oxide.

6 4. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said No references cited. olefin is cyclohexene and said epoxide is 1,2-cyclohexene oxide. NORMA S. MILESTONE, Primary Examiner 5. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said olefin is cyclooctene and said epoxide is 1,2-cyclooctene 5 oxide. 260592, 593 A, 595, 604 R, 610 R 

